This is the bizarre moment a drunk monkey picked up a
kitchen knife and began terrorizing men in a bar.
The capuchin became aggressive after drinking leftover rum
at the venue in Paraiba, Brazil.
It grabbed a foot-long knife and began chasing the male
drinkers – but not the women.
The bar owner was forced to call the fire brigade as the
monkey rampaged out of control.
Fire chief Lt. Col Saul Laurentino said: “It was a bar
staff oversight that ended with the monkey drinking some rum and taking the
knife.”
A video posted on YouTube shows the animal scraping the
roof tiles with the blade before it dashed off.
Firefighters eventually managed to capture the animal after
the incident earlier this month and released it into a nature reserve, it was
reported by Ninemsn, which cited a Rede.
But the feisty capuchin had to be caught once again after
it began terrorizing nearby residents.
Officials are now trying to decide whether to release it
into the wild again or place it in captivity.
A recent study found that capuchin monkeys can have quite a
temper and will punish others who get more than their fair share.
Researchers found they will yank on a rope to collapse a
table that is holding another's food.
Chimpanzees, meanwhile, will only do so if they feel a
crime has been committed by another monkey, such as stealing the food.
A video last year also showed a capuchin lashing out in
anger at being filmed.
This is the dramatic moment a drunk monkey picks up a
kitchen knife and begins terrorizing men in a bar.
Monkeying around: The capuchin became aggressive after
drinking leftover rum at the bar in Paraiba, Brazil.
Locals managed to film the animal scraping the roof tiles
with the blade before it dashed off.
Some might prefer, say, a dead puppy preserved in a jar.
Jason Haack, owner of Bonez by Dezign Custom Lamps and
More, in Sioux Falls, S.D., said the romance-themed weekend brought several
customers into his Sioux Falls oddities shop.
"You've got to have a little bit of a morbid side to
you," Haack said, as he sat in the corner of his shop between a shelf of
bones and a wall of taxidermied animals.
The business started in the back room of his mother's
flower shop and has expanded to the front room with a section of collectibles
for sale in one area of the shop.
Haack sells various animal bones, skulls and skeletons. He
also has a shelf of wet specimens, meaning animals preserved in jars.
That's where the puppies are kept, in jars that look like
in another life they could have held jam.
The puppies come from different breeders. They are all
stillborn. None of them lived outside the womb, and none of them were killed
for purposes of making collectors items.
"It's never been somebody's baby," Haack's mother
Jodie Haack said.
But Haack has seen his fair share of criticism. When he
posted a picture on Facebook of the puppies in jars, he received death threats,
his mother said.
He saw another wave of criticism on social media after he
posted a Valentine's ad for the puppies. Some commenters raised question as to
the legality of Haack's operation.
It's all legal, though, Haack said.
"Just because somebody doesn't like it doesn't mean
it's wrong or illegal," Haack said.
Customer Ashely Nielson became interested in collecting wet
specimens after seeing the TV show "Oddities." She has purchased a
puppy, a kitten, a bat and a scorpion from Haack's shop.
She's also heard people call her hobby "weird" or
"gross," but she replies, "To each their own."
"I don't think people should judge other people's
hobbies and what they like," Nielson said.
Nielson views her collection as a chance to give love and
attention to these animals who never had a chance at life.
She said she would love to receive a wet specimen for
Valentine's Day.
"That would be better to me than roses or jewelry or
anything like that."
Jason Haack is the owner of Bonez By Dezign in Sioux Falls,
S.D., Monday, Feb. 15, 2016. Haack buys, sells and trades unidque and odd
items.
A puppy is preserved in a jar at Bonez By Dezign in Sioux
Falls, S.D., Monday, Feb. 15, 2016. The puppy was stillborn.
Carson Damiata, 14, shows a snake, puppy and calf preserved
in a jar at Bonez By Dezign in Sioux Falls, S.D., Monday, Feb. 15, 2016.
A snake is preserved in a jar at Bonez By Dezign in Sioux
Falls, S.D., Monday, Feb. 15, 2016.
Carson Damiata, 14, shows various animals bones, skulls and
skeletons for sale at Bonez By Dezign in Sioux Falls, S.D., Monday, Feb. 15,
2016.
Bonez By Dezign buys, sells and trades unidque and odd
items in Sioux Falls, S.D., Monday, Feb. 15, 2016.
Carson Damiata, 14, shows a skull from 1895 at Bonez By
Dezign in Sioux Falls, S.D., Monday, Feb. 15, 2016.
A zebra lamp at Bonez By Dezign in Sioux Falls, S.D.,
Monday, Feb. 15, 2016.
Sacramento Zoo officials said they had high hopes that two
rare Sumatran tigers would begin courting this week.
Mohan, a 12-year-old male, already had plenty of visual
contact with 15-year-old female tiger Baha since his arrival at the zoo in
December.
The idea was to get Mohan and Baha to reproduce as part of
the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan. Sumatran tigers
are considered critically endangered, with fewer than 400 still alive today,
according to the World Wildlife Fund.
“Both tigers’ behavior indicated that this was the proper
time for physical introductions,” the Sacramento Zoo said in a statement.
“Based on knowledge and experience from past successful introductions, staff
decided to physically introduce the tigers on Wednesday morning.”
The two tigers were placed inside of an enclosure, and
staff watched from outside as what was supposed to be one more step to keeping
the species alive ended in tragedy.
Mohan became “aggressive,” according to the zoo, and
attacked Baha within a matter of minutes, the Sacramento Bee reported. Staff
used a water hose and fire extinguishers to intercede, the Associated Press
reported, and secured Mohan elsewhere.
But by the time veterinarians got to Baha and tried to
resuscitate her, it was too late: She had already died from the attack,
according to the zoo.
“We are truly devastated at the passing of Baha,” the zoo’s
animal collection director, Matt McKim, said in a statement. “Not only was she
a wonderful ambassador and a truly attentive mother, she was also a
one-of-a-kind tiger that inspired many.”
Sacramento Zoo’s director and chief executive officer Kyle
Burks told the Bee that although it’s rare, aggression between tigers does
happen in captivity.
Mohan has since been removed from public viewing, the paper
reported.
Baha had been living at the Sacramento Zoo since 2002 and
leaves behind five living offspring, all bred through successful zoo
introductions, according to the zoo.
Female Malayan tiger Tiga Tahun, was killed as a result of
"aggressive behavior" by her intended mate during a breeding session
Saturday morning. Photo: Ken Bohn
By then, Daniel had been in Afghanistan two months. It was
July 2012, his third tour of duty and his first with Oogie, his military
working dog. They were leading their platoon on yet another patrol, clearing a
no-name village with maybe 15 houses and one mosque, when they began taking
fire.
“The first thing that went through my mind,” he says, “was,
‘S- -t. My dog’s gonna get shot.’ ”
It was a perfect L-shaped ambush, bullets coming from the
front and the right, the platoon pinned down in a flat, open landscape. Along
the road were shallow trenches, no more than 14 inches deep. Daniel grabbed
Oogie, squeezed him in a hole, then threw himself over his dog.
It went against all his Army training. “They tell us it’s
better for a dog to step on a bomb than a US soldier,” he says. The truth is
Daniel, like just about every other dog handler in the armed forces, would
rather take the hit himself.
Five weeks into their training, Daniel and Oogie were
inseparable. They showered together. They went to the bathroom together. When
Daniel ran on the treadmill, Oogie was on the one right next to him, running
along.
That week, Daniel got Oogie’s paw print tattooed on his
chest.
“The few times you safeguard your dog are slim compared to
what he does every time you go outside the wire,” Daniel says. “That’s your
dog. The dog saves you and saves your team. You’re walking behind this dog in
known IED hot spots. In a firefight, the dog doesn’t understand.”
Bullets were coming closer now; the enemy had long ago
picked up on how important the dogs were to the Americans, how successful they
were at sniffing out bombs. “I know there were three separate incidents where
they shot at Oogie,” Daniel says. And as he lay on top of his dog, he stroked
him and whispered and kept him calm.
Not long after a poacher’s trap killed a young mountain
gorilla in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, researchers actually witnessed a
couple of four-year-old gorillas working together to take apart other traps in
the area. Large gorillas are able to use their strength to do this, but the
younger ones aren’t.
“This is absolutely the first time that we’ve seen
juveniles doing that . . . I don’t know of any other reports in the world of
juveniles destroying snares. We are the largest database and observer of wild
gorillas . . . so I would be very surprised if somebody else has seen that.” –
Veronica Vecellio from the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s Karisoke Research Centre
in Rwanda
It’s sad to think that thousands of snares are set up in
these areas, leaving many animals to be caught and left to die.
As Science Alert Points Out:
While adult gorillas are large and strong enough to extract
themselves, young gorillas often are not, and if they don’t die from being
stuck in the trap, they run a very real risk of dying from injuries sustained
during their escape, such as dislocated bones and gangrenous cuts.
Here is the brief version of how the events unfolded from
National Geographic:
On Tuesday tracker John Ndayambaje spotted a trap very
close to the Kuryama gorilla clan. He moved in to deactivate the snare, but a
silverback named Vubu grunted, cautioning Ndayambaje to stay away, Vecellio
said.
Suddenly two juveniles—Rwema, a male; and Dukore, a female;
both about four years old—ran toward the trap.
As Ndayambaje and a few tourists watched, Rwema jumped on
the bent tree branch and broke it, while Dukore freed the noose.
The pair then spied another snare nearby—one the tracker
himself had missed—and raced for it. Joined by a third gorilla, a teenager
named Tetero, Rwema and Dukore destroyed that trap as well.
Humans have strayed far from the teachings of our
ancestors. We once knew the importance of preserving and respecting all living
things on this planet. Now, with the rise of today’s consumerist culture, we
focus instead on acquiring material possessions, only to discard them and
acquire even more, newer versions of these possessions. Worse still, much of
what we purchase today has its roots in child labor and animal
cruelty/suffering, and all of this is done for the sake of economic growth and
globalization.
As a result, as studies have recently shown, the Earth has
entered into a mass extinction phase. Vertebrates are disappearing at a rate
114 times faster than normal. These include mammals, birds, reptiles,
amphibians, and fish, and there are several reasons for this decline. For
example, an acre of land is cleared every second to graze animals and grow
their food crops, resulting in the loss of over one hundred plant, animal, and
insect species. Climate change, pollution, and deforestation seem to be the
main culprits.
At the rate we are going, it seems unlikely that humans
will be able to survive on this planet as close as one hundred years from now.
This entire experience, however, has served us in a way
like no other. More and more people are starting to become aware of what is
really happening on this planet and are starting to feel the urge to change.
This is a good sign, and something that’s desperately needed at this time. I
personally feel that our planet is actually shifting itself in the right
direction, but it seems likely that it will be a challenging, if worthwhile,
process for us all.
Two schoolgirls who created their own version of one of
Taylor Swift's most famous songs to raise money for their autistic relative
have received a huge donation from the popstar herself.
Jordan Fox and Makaylee Duhon, who are both 12, joined
together to rewrite the lyrics to Swift's hit 'Blank Space' as a way of helping
Jacob Hill, who suffers from autism.
Jacob, who is five, suffers from the condition, which makes
it harder for him socialize and he is prone to wandering off from his parents.
His mother Allison was keen for Jacob to be given a service
dog, which would stop him from putting himself in constant danger.
His family then launched a fund-raising campaign to gather
together the $12,500 needed to train a dog and his sister Jordan and cousin
Makaylee decided to rework one of Swift's songs where they plead for donations.
The video of their song, their own take on Blank Space, was
posted to YouTube and spotted by the hitmaker who wanted to help out the cause.
She then went on the appeal's Gofundme page and donated
$10,000, meaning the family now have enough for a therapy dog.
Writing on the page, Swift and her mother Andrea Swift,
wrote: “Jacob, we hope you love your new dog! Please tell your cousins that
they did a great job on the song! Love, Taylor and Andrea Swift.”
And when the two girls were told that Ms. Swift had made
the donation, they were shocked.
Makaylee told KPRC: “She was like, 2Taylor Swift just
donated $10,000.
And we were all like, 'Oh my gosh!”
While Jordan added: “I couldn't just look at this situation
and ignore it, because he's my brother.
I love him a lot. He's really special to me.”
A service dog will now be chosen for Jacob and will take
two and a half years to train before going to live with the family.
Schoolgirls Jordan Fox and Makaylee Duhon, who created
their own version of one of Taylor Swift's most famous songs to raise money for
their autistic relative Jacob Hill, pictured.
The two girls reworked the words to the song Blank Space
and performed a music video to go with it, which they posted online.
After posting the video online for Jacob, left, it was
spotted by Taylor Swift, right, who donated $10,000 to help him afford a
service dog.
The hitmaker spotted the girls' song on YouTube and wanted
to help Jacob afford to get his service dog.
When the two girls were told by Jacob's mother, Allison
that Swift had made the donation, they were shocked.
Thanks to the popstar's donation, the family now have
enough money to afford to train the dog.
The message that Swift and her mother Andrea left on Gofundme
after making their donation.
While your beloved senior dog can’t really forget where he
put his car keys, it turns out that he is capable of experiencing “senior
moments.” If your dog forgets the route on your daily walk or if he’s not
enjoying the things he once did, like chasing after his favorite toy or
greeting you at the door, he could be suffering from canine cognitive
dysfunction (CCD), or the doggy version of Alzheimer’s.
Canine cognitive dysfunction can occur for a number of
reasons, like an accumulation of abnormal proteins in the brain. This creates a
build-up of plaque, which eventually damages nerves and results in the loss of
brain function, which can affect your dog's memory, motor functions and learned
behaviors.
Most dogs, regardless of breed, experience some form of CCD
as they age. In a study conducted by the Behavior Clinic at the University of
California at Davis, researchers found that 28 percent of dogs aged 11-12
years, and 68 percent of dogs aged 15-16 years, showed one or more signs of
cognitive impairment.
Dr. Bonnie Beaver, a board-certified veterinary
behaviorist, says a lot of dog owners aren’t aware that their dogs can suffer
from CCD until they take them to the vet for what they think are physical or
behavioral problems.
“The first thing you should do is to talk to your vet to
make sure that it’s cognitive dysfunction and not something else. It comes on
gradually and owners don't always notice things,” says Dr. Beaver.
“What did your dog stop doing that he used to do? Is he not
chasing his ball because he has arthritis? Or is it that he doesn't care
anymore? It's important to differentiate between physical and mental
causes."
Some symptoms of CCD can overlap with other age related
conditions, such as arthritis, diabetes, cancer, and kidney issues, as well as
hearing and sight loss. Depending on your dog's symptoms your vet may propose
x-rays, blood tests, urinalysis, or other diagnostic tests.
Dr. Denise Petryk, a former emergency room vet who now
works with Trupanion pet insurance, says the widely accepted DISHA acronym can
help dog owners characterize the most distinct signs and changes associated
with CCD.
The term DISHA refers to the symptoms Disorientation,
[altered] Interactions with their family members or other pets, Sleep-wake
cycle changes, House soiling, and Activity level changes.
“It gives us the ability to check against a list of things
to show that something else isn’t going on. If your dog has one of the symptoms
or some combination then we’re more likely to call it cognitive dysfunction.”
Dr. Beaver says to keep in mind that there isn’t
necessarily a progression to the symptoms your dog may be experiencing.
“The more signs and frequency we see, the greater
significance of the problem. Each sign or symptom doesn’t really signify a
particular phase,” she says.
Here’s the DISHA list of possible symptoms that may
demonstrate cognitive dysfunction in dogs:
Disorientation
One of the most common things pet parents may notice is
that their senior dog gets disoriented even when he’s in his normal or familiar
environment.
“This often happens when the dog is out in the backyard and
he goes to the wrong door or the wrong side of the door to get back in. The
part of the brain that is involved with orientation has been affected.” Beaver
says.
Your dog may also experience difficulty with spatial
awareness. He may wander behind the couch and then realize he doesn’t know
where he is or how to get out.
At bedtime you may find your dog in a different part of the
house staring at the wall instead of curled up in his dog bed. Petryk says dogs
have a good sense of timing, so this is a sign that something is wrong.
“The first thing you should do is to take your dog in for a
check-up. It might not be a cognitive issue, so your vet may want to rule out
some other possible medical causes which could involve a brain tumor or
diabetes.”
Interactions
Canine cognitive dysfunction can affect your dog’s
interactions with people and other animals. Your once sociable dog who used to
be the most popular pooch on the block now acts cranky and irritable, or even
growls at other animals or children. He may lash out and bite his once favorite
playmates. Petryk cautions that this behavior could be the result of something
serious.
“He may be acting this way because he’s in pain. He could
have arthritis or some other ailment that hurts when he moves or is touched.
Your vet may want to do x-rays to rule out a painful condition.”
Some dogs withdraw from their family and their favorite
activities. They may fail to notice when the doorbell rings and seem
disinterested in greeting visitors, or they may stop barking at the mailman.
Your dog may not even respond when you get his leash out to go for a walk.
"I've had patients whose dogs don't recognize that
their favorite cookies are treats for them, “ says Petryk. “The owner's first
instinct is to buy other cookies. They don't realize something else could be
going on.”
Sleep-Wake Cycle Changes
A change in sleep patterns or a disruption in circadian
rhythms is one of the more specific symptoms related to cognitive dysfunction.
Dogs that used to sleep soundly may now pace all night. Many dogs reverse their
normal schedules, so their daytime activities become their nighttime
activities. This “up all night” routine can be frustrating and tiring to pet
owners.
“If your dog is active at night and you want to get him to
sleep, a nightlight or white noise may help him,” Beaver says.
If this doesn’t provide relief, consult your vet for
medications that may ease your dog’s anxiety and reestablish normal sleep
cycles.
House Soiling
Urinating or defecating in the house is one of the most
common ways cognitive dysfunction is detected in dogs, especially if the dog
was previously housetrained.
Petryk says that when this happens it’s important for
owners to consider that their dog may have lost its ability to voluntarily
control elimination or even let them know that he needs to go outside.
“After we run tests and rule out a bladder infection,
kidney problems, or diabetes, then there’s usually been a cognitive change. If
your dog is staring out at the sliding glass door and then poops in the house
anyway and it’s not because of bowel trouble, then he’s lost the understanding
that he should poop outside,” Petryk explains.
Activity Level
Dogs with cognitive dysfunction may show a decreased desire
to explore and a decreased response to things, people, and sounds in their
environments. They may not greet you or they may no longer respond on cue to
fetch their favorite toy. They may also be less focused and show an altered
response to stimuli. Some dogs have trouble eating or drinking or finding their
food bowls.
"They may drop something when they’re eating and they
can’t find it,” says Petryk. “If they don’t have sight or hearing issues, this
can be a true indication that they are experiencing cognitive dysfunction.”
Although older dogs experience a normal decline in activity
levels, they may also experience restless or repetitive locomotion.
"They may exhibit repetitive motion; things like head
bobbing, leg shaking, or pacing in circles. This kind of action is more related
to cognitive dysfunction or a degeneration of the brain. It’s less likely to be
mistaken for anything else," Petryk says.
Owners should also be aware if their typically quiet dog
now barks excessively or if he barks at times when nothing is going on.
Diet, Medication and Environment
Watching your dog lose his cognitive abilities can be a
difficult and disturbing process, but there are things you can do to help ease
his discomfort.
“You can’t stop the process but it’s possible to slow it
down so they don’t go from one problem to three problems,” Beaver says.
Certain dog foods are formulated to help slow down
cognitive dysfunction and include anti-oxidants and omega-3 fatty acids to
promote and strengthen cell health.
Beaver says combining an enhanced diet with efforts to
enrich your dog’s environment provides the greatest chance for cognitive
improvement.
“Introducing things like food puzzles encourages mental
stimulation,” she explains. “Any type of food dispenser toy where they have to
roll it around to get the food out helps keep them mentally active.”
Regular scheduled play sessions can also stimulate your
dog’s brain and improve his learning and memory abilities.
“If your dog doesn’t have physical restrictions, grab his
leash and take him to the dog park where he can socialize with other dogs,”
says Petryk. “It’s possible to slow deterioration by keeping him physically and
mentally active, just like it is for us.”
Psychoactive drugs and dietary supplements can also help
slow your dog's decline, but Beaver recommends visiting your vet for specific
recommendations that can be tailored to your dog’s health and medical history.
“If, for instance, your dog also has a heart problem, the
medications he takes for that is going to factor into any medications
prescribed for cognitive decline,” says Beaver. “Vets and owners need to work
together to establish a plan.”
Regular Checks-Ups
“As your dog gets older he should be having twice yearly
check-ups. That way they can help differentiate between normal aging and what's
pathological or wrong,” says Petryk.
She suggests going into the vet with a list of questions
and observations—things that you notice when you’re at home. If changes happen
gradually, it’s easy to overlook them, says Petryk.
“People can be blind to the changes in their pets because
they’ve happened slowly,” she says. “They may not notice things and it may be
too late to fix them.”
An Antarctic iceberg the size of a major city that's
blocked access to the sea since 2010 for thousands of Adelie penguins threatens
to completely wipe out the colony.
Once 160,000 strong, the flightless birds now number only
10,000 after being forced to waddle some 40 miles in search of food, according
to new research from the Climate Change Research Center at Australia’s
University of New South Wales.
Scientists predict the colony will vanish in 20 years
unless the ice breaks up or the giant iceberg, which measures 1,000 square
miles, is somehow dislodged.
The penguins of Cape Denison traditionally have relied on
easy access to the ocean for feeding. But an ice floe that gradually increased
in size pressed in on the bay. Six years ago, it made contact with the land and
effectively sealed off the bird's traditional route to the sea. Many penguins
could not successfully complete the long trek to another sea outlet now
required for feeding.
“The arrival of iceberg B09B in Commonwealth Bay, East
Antarctica, and subsequent fast ice expansion has dramatically increased the
distance Adélie penguins breeding at Cape Denison must travel in search of
food,” the researchers wrote in an article in Antarctic Science.
"It's eerily silent now," Chris Turney, a climate
change professor with the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, which has been
tracking the penguins' decline, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"The ones that we saw at Cape Denison were incredibly
docile, lethargic, almost unaware of your existence," he said. "The
ones that are surviving are clearly struggling. They can barely survive
themselves, let alone hatch the next generation. We saw lots of dead birds on
the ground ... it's just heartbreaking to see."
The birds will not migrate, he added. "They're stuck
there," he said. "They're dying."
Those mournful wails and yips let loose by our sleeping
dogs tug on our heartstrings so hard that it can be impossible to resist waking
our dreaming pets. The same goes for when their four legs get to moving and we
wonder if they are happily bounding after squirrels or if something big and
scary might be chasing them. Even the heavy-duty doggie snoring sometimes
sounds like it can’t be a good thing. But should we wake our dogs up from a
dream?
The hardline answer is: Probably not. Dogs dream and sleep
much like humans, with similar REM patterns. Although most dogs sleep 14 to 16
hours a day, they still need some of the deep, uninterrupted sleep we do. So,
if you have a dog that seems to dream a lot, constantly waking your pup may be
unhealthy for him.
But…what if you just can’t help yourself?
No Touching
The aforementioned mournful wailing and heartstrings being
tugged upon pretty much guarantee that we’re going to awaken our pet anyway. You
may want to hug his crying away. Which is exactly what not to do, at least not
until your dog is fully awake.
No matter how loyal, well-trained and loving your pet is,
awakening them by contact can get you snarled at or even bit. Remember that you
are bringing your dog back from a dream state, where the dream is reality.
Use a Gentle Voice
Our natural instinct can be to wake our pet as quickly as
possible, even sometimes by shouting their name, as we too are distressed for
them. Taking that tone, however, can put your dog on the offensive. He will
think something is wrong upon waking and go into protection mode.
Imagine an alarm clock that goes off sounding like the
panicked voice of the person you love the most. That would be more than a
little stressful to wake to. For these reasons, use a soft and loving tone to
coax your dog out of a dream and into a safe environment.
Lay On the Love
Once your dog has successfully been retrieved from the Land
of Nod is when you can finally soothe them by touch. Give comforting hugs, rub
their head and give that favorite spot a quality petting. Talk to your dog and
let them know everything is safe – basically everything comforting you would
want after being abruptly woken up.
Tiny monkeys no bigger than a thumb are being sold
illegally in China and used as accessories by the country's nouveau riche.
These little primates are thought to be pygmy marmosets,
the world's smallest monkey, they are being priced at up to 30,000 Yuan
(£3,140), reports the People's Daily Online.
Pygmy marmosets are native to rainforests of Western Amazon
Basin in South America, but they are becoming increasingly popular as exotic
pets in China especially as gifts to celebrate the Year of the Monkey.
According to the report, the tiny animals have been given
the nickname of 'thumb monkeys' in China and they have become the new star pet
among wealthy people in the country.
One such man surnamed Chen is the owner of a jewelry
business.
He showcased what he referred to as a 'New Year mascot' on
China's Twitter-like social media platform Weibo.
His post said: “Snow skin leopards and red-crowned cranes
have nothing on my New Year's gift. Please meet Xiao Shen.”
A wave of comments among his friends on WeChat came after
the post.
The monkeys are smaller than mice and cling on to a
person's thumb as if to be hugging it.
An official expert who was not named spoke to local
reporters: “Buying and selling are certainly not legal. Not only one governmental
bodies are supervising this.”
The official also said the monkey is not native to China,
so it not only involves the protection of wildlife, but also quarantine.
They have to be able to adapt to the environment, as pygmy
marmosets are native to the Amazon, survival in China could be extremely
difficult.
What You Need to Know About Pygmy Marmosets:
Pygmy marmosets are the smallest monkey's in the world.
They average about five inches, with a tail that grows to
about eight inches.
Native exclusively to rainforests of Western Amazon Basin
in South America.
They like to eat grasshoppers and make high pitched clicks,
squeaks and whistles.
The pygmy marmoset is becoming increasingly popular as an
exotic pet, but they are very hard to keep.
International Union for Conservation of Nature's have
listed them on their red list of endangered species.
They are undergoing some localized declines, due mainly to
habitat loss in the rainforests and international trade.
Source: International Union for Conservation
The tiny monkeys are becoming increasingly popular as
exotic pets for their cuteness and size but they are very hard to keep.
According to a-zanimals.com, when a baby pygmy marmoset is
taken away from the family it can often die quickly due to depression.
What a spokesman from the World Animal Protection said about
keeping these animals as pets:
“It is obvious to see why these incredibly endearing
animals have appeal but people must remember they are wild animals and they
must live out their lives in their natural environment – not as a curio for
someone as a pet.
They have specific needs that cannot be met in a domestic
environment and keeping them as pets is not only cruel but highly
irresponsible.”
Pigmy marmosets are on the International Union for
Conservation of Nature's red list of endangered species.
They are listed as 'Least Concern' as the species has a
relatively wide distribution range, and there are no major threats resulting in
a significant population decline.
However, the report said they may be undergoing some
localiSed declines, due mainly to habitat loss in the rainforests and
international trade.
